The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame the Dallas Mavericks in a star-studded Christmas Day clash 105-99, as they avenged a loss from earlier this season. Kyrie Irving did everything he could to lead the Mavs to a 28-point comeback with a masterclass after Luka Doncic left the game due to injury but fell short to Anthony Edwards and company.
Edwards reflected on the matchup with Irving after the game, hailing Irving as his favorite and the greatest point guard ever.
“Kyrie, to me, is the greatest point guard. Anytime he gets going, it’s tough to stop him. We got a couple of big stops down the stretch and we got some buckets, which helped us.”
“He knows he’s my favorite point guard of all time, so it’s a battle. Last year in the Playoffs, we were battling. I love to battle against him, the isos, and the matchups.”
"Kyrie, to me, he's the greatest point guard."
Ant with nothing but love for Kyrie ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Soz9lLcTXV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 25, 2024
Irving reacted to Edwards’ praise of him, calling it inspirational.
“It’s inspirational, man. The next generation, they’re a little different but I gotta give them credit, they challenge us to get better. They challenge us to be the heroes they saw growing up, even when you’re playing against them. They get up into your body but also they’re gonna see you be special. I have a few relationships like that around the league.”
“There was an interview with Bron Steph and KD where you can hear the admiration can’t necessarily be there, but underneath that, we all respect each other and have to toe the line, but I’m trying to win man. I know those guys are the same and we talk like this because we’re media trained, but on the court, we’re trying to rip each other’s hearts out, especially the great ones.”
“It’s inspirational, man.”
Kyrie Irving after Anthony Edwards calls him his "favorite point guard of all time".
(via @JoeyMistretta_) pic.twitter.com/T6HlaXZv5K
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 26, 2024
Irving scored 39 points (14-27 FG) in the game, with 15 coming in the fourth quarter to bring the Mavericks close to completing a 28-point comeback in a game where they lost Luka Doncic to a calf injury after the Slovenian put up 14 points (5-9 FG) and five rebounds in 16 minutes.
Edwards put up 26 points (11-24 FG), eight rebounds, and five assists in the strong win, while Julius Randle had another great night in his hometown of Dallas, putting up 23 points (6-13 FG), 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Rudy Gobert had a strong double-double with 14 points (6-7 FG) and 10 rebounds.
This was a tense Playoff rematch between the teams that looked like a foregone conclusion when the Wolves led by 17 points at the half and Doncic had left the game due to injury. The Mavericks were down 28 points with two minutes left in the third quarter, but Irving would take off and make a comeback but fell five points short.
Irving is averaging 24.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season, continuing to excel on the Mavericks in a contract year. He will now be tasked with keeping Dallas competitive over the next month as Doncic will likely miss an extended period to fully heal up from his calf injury.
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